Charles Leclerc seals Spanish GP pole ahead of Max Verstappen

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc will start the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen on the front row, as the Monegasque looks to seize the momentum back from the Red Bull man in the Drivers’ championship.

The Dutchman has been strong in the last couple of races, with him winning both the Imola and Miami Grands Prix, whilst he also has the Sprint victory at Imola under his belt in recent races too.

Indeed, that has meant that Verstappen has been able to close the points gap down in the standings over the last couple of events, and Leclerc naturally has wanted to strike back.

Certainly, he has arrived this weekend clearly motivated, and so far has proven unbeatable with him topping all three practice sessions and now taking P1 for the race – a formidable run in the blistering Barcelona heat.

The points are handed out on a Sunday, though, and he’ll know that he now needs to convert his form here at the Circuit de Catalunya this weekend into a race victory, especially with Red Bull showing strong race pace the last couple of times out.

Behind the rather familiar front row, Carlos Sainz will start third in front of his home crowd alongside George Russell, with the British driver seeing his Mercedes continue to show progress – team-mate Lewis Hamilton will start in P6, alongisde Sergio Perez in P5.

Merc, then, may well be starting to threaten joining the party out in front, whilst the midfield battle is looking as intense as ever, with three different constructors in the final four places inside the top 10.

Valtteri Bottas will line up in P7 alongside Kevin Magnussen, whilst Daniel Ricciardo is in P9 with Mick Schumacher in the other Haas rounding out the top 10.

Haas, of course, are the only team without upgrades here